While left wing radical groups speak of Judenrein areas in Jerusalem (Free of Jews) and demonstrate against Jews legally purchasing and living in predominantly Arab areas (old Jewish neighborhoods) like Shiloach-Silwan, slowly but surely, one can actually see small signs of basic coexistence taking place.

Two years ago, Jewish and Arab families in the Shiloach (Kfar Hateimanim) worked together in order to get the Jerusalem Municipality to invest money in lighting and new access alleyways in the neighborhood.

Sadly- the Arab families were scared to talk to the press, have joint photgraphs taken, or have any semblance of working together with the Jewish neighbors due to pressure from the more violent and extremist Moslem clans in the area.

But it happened.  

Over the last few years, a few Jewish families from the Old City and from Kfar Hateimanim. took legal action against the East Jerusalem Electrical Company, on behalf of many Arab families in the Old City and in the Shiloach. And won. A few months ago, the courts ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and the hundreds of Arab and Jewish families were awarded millions of Shekels in compensation. The Arabs ultimately benefitted from the actions of the Jewish families and they appreciated the fact.

(Note -left wing press Haaretz and other left leaning media outlets, refused to write about the story !)

And now -yet another “victory” for Jews and Arabs working together in the Shiloach. This time over rubbish!!

For many years, Arabs would purposely dump rubbish in front of Beit HaDash (first building redeemed in the Shiloach in 2004). Whenever possible the family would move the rubbish to a more neutral spot and the Arabs would keep bringing rubbish back and dumping it in front of Beit HaDvash.

Across the alleyway of Beit HaDvash is an unused storeroom of an Arab neighbor who lives across the street. Together with the Arab family, the Ateret Cohanim chief security officer and the local Jewish families (Beit HaDvash and other others nearby), this “joint” group managed to convince the Jerusalem Municipality to “pay the Arab” for the official use of his unused storeroom at road level – for the rubbish room of Shiloach.

The Beit HaDvash family is happy. The Arab family is happy getting a small income from the Municipality and all is “good” in the Shiloach !!!
So is coexistence in the Shiloach rubbish.